Today’s recipe is a vegan chocolate peanut butter pie. But rather than telling you about the vegan pie and its delicious and super easy saltine cracker crust, I thought I’d tell you about the first time I threw a party and made a “cake” from scratch: The first party I ever organized and threw happened when I was about 8 years old; it was a birthday extravaganza for my dog, Macaroni. I mean, just look at this set up and spread:

I have a hazy memory of the party, but I do remember it took me a long time to plan, prep, and execute. First of all, my dog, Macaroni (the white spotted dog in the center), could not be expected to celebrate her birthday alone, so I invited over her friend, Cleo (pug on the left), and forced my mom’s dog, Ziggy (far right, barely visible cause she was a jet black dachshund) to attend too (even though she kind of hated Macaroni.) The meal consisted of mineral water (as opposed to tap water!), and a burger cake – a stack of burgers with a candle on top (you can see it more clearly in the next photo). We also made fries. As a final touch, I put out my old Halloween candy that I wasn’t eating/couldn’t get rid of at school through candy trading. The candy was NOT for dog consumption, obviously, but I remember arguing with my mom that it couldn’t be a party without some kind of dessert, so I added them in for tradition’s sake and my mom stood by closely, making sure the dogs didn’t gulp it all down. It took me literal hours to plan all this out, set the table, make the burgers, etc.

Because I felt it was a little sad that Macaroni (AKA Macers) had so few friends, I also invited my stuffed animals. You can see them in the background of the above photo with their party glasses on. And just look at that stacked Burger Cake!

We sang Macers “Happy Birthday” and served everyone (dog) a burger. And things started out civilized enough (even though Ziggy was kind of consistently disgusted throughout — you can see her on the far right looking at Macers with disdain)…

But literally within 15 seconds, total chaos erupted: Cleo inhaled her burger and left the table, Macaroni jumped on the table to finish her burger, and Ziggy was trying to escape cause she just couldn’t deal (that’s my mom’s hand trying to force her to stay). I remember feeling very disappointed that it took me hours to get this whole party together, only to have it be over in less than 60 seconds (literally).

There is no good segue into today’s vegan chocolate peanut butter pie recipe, except to say that it’ll take some time for this pie to set in the fridge, but once its ready to be eaten, you (and your guests) will absolutely inhale it in a matter of seconds, just like Macaroni, Cleo, and Ziggy. This vegan pie is SO luscious and delicious with a perfect amount of crunch from the Saltine crust and the roasted peanuts on top. Seriously, you won’t believe it’s 100% vegan. Hope you enjoy.

Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Makes One 8 inch pie; Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the crust:

1-sleeve Saltine crackers

3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

For the filling and chocolate ganache:

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 1/4 cups semisweet dairy-free chocolate chips

1-cup creamy peanut butter

1-cup confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 ounces tofu cream cheese

2 tablespoons roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Pinch of flaked sea salt

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly oil an 8-inch glass pie pan with some of the coconut oil. Pulse the crackers in a food processor until smooth. Add the coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of water and continue to pulse until it starts to come together.

2. Press the crushed crumbs into the greased pie pan and press down with your fingers to flatten. Bake until set, about 12 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

3. Simmer the almond milk in a small pot then add the chocolate chips and tilt the pot so that the almond milk nearly covers the chocolate chips. Let sit undisturbed until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Stir gently with a rubber spatula until a smooth ganache forms. Pour half of the ganache in an even layer over the crust. Freeze to cool and reserve the remaining half of the ganache.

4. Meanwhile blend the peanut butter, confectioners sugar and vanilla in a food processor until smooth. Transfer it to a bowl then stir in the tofu cream cheese using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Spread the filling into the prepared piecrust. Warm the reserved ganache then pour it over the top and gently spread it evenly to cover. Sprinkle with the peanuts and a pinch of flaked sea salt. Transfer to the freezer or refrigerator until the chocolate is set, about 4 hours or overnight. Slice and serve.

About Elettra

Elettra Wiedemann is the founder of Impatient Foodie, a food site that navigates her desire to marry Slow Food ideals with the realities of fast paced, urban life. Within just a few months of launch in summer of 2014, Impatient Foodie was featured in numerous publications including Vogue, The New York Post, The Daily Mail (UK) Elle US, Elle China, Yahoo Food, Yahoo News, Madame Figaro, and Racked, ManRepeller, and Food & Wine Magazine.